Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself ...

Hi everyone! To start off PA week, I have decided to answer
some of the most frequently asked questions that I get from those who are
interested in the PA profession and reintroduce myself. My name is Amber, and I am currently in my 4th quarter of PA school at South University. Read my responses below, and don’t forget to
subscribe.

Why did you choose the PA profession versus becoming a
doctor?

In all honesty, I thought I was going to be in the WNBA (I’m
5’5, so the likelihood of that happening was slim), and my backup plan was to
be a fashion designer because I love to shop. While in high school, I took a
fashion marketing class, and I HATED it. So, scratch that idea, and I was back
at the drawing board. I loved sports, so I thought sports marketing was a
better fit. However, after taking a sports marketing class in high school, I soon
realized I do not like cooperate America, whatsoever, and I would rather work
directly with the athletes, so I thought physical therapy was a more ideal fit.
During my junior year in high school, I tore my ACL while playing basketball,
and I could see the duties of a physical therapist. Let’s just say, I was not
impressed, and I did not think it was a fit for me. My mind is very fickle and I
get bored very easily, and I was not a fan of the mundane environment of a
physical therapist. However, I LOVED the duties and roles of my orthopaedic
surgeon, so I just KNEW that that was what I wanted to do (ha, I was highly
mistaken!) During undergrad, I had my mind set on the pre-med track, but once I
started working in the hospital my senior year of high school, I quickly
realized that the life as a physician was something I did not desire. In the
future, I want to get married and have kids, and me becoming a physician would
make that very difficult, but I am SUPER stubborn and did not want to let the
people in my life down (my whole family literally told everyone that I was
going to become a doctor), so I stuck with that path. The MCAT was my
kryptonite, and it took me three tries to get the score that I needed to become
competitive, but once I sat down to fill out the application, I started having
panic attacks, and I just knew something was not right. I prayed over the
situation, and asked God if this was right for me, and I soon knew that I was
going to make a mistake. While working in the hospital, I was able to know more
about the Physician Assistant profession, and I was so impressed! Prior to
that, I did NOT know anything about the PA profession, but by that time, I was
getting ready to graduate, and did not want to switch up my plans because I was
so anxious to graduate. I talked to several doctors and PA’s who gave me
incredible feedback, and I soon learned that becoming a PA was more conducive
on how I wanted to live my life, and I can say that I made the RIGHT decision!
I am so happy that I followed my gut and God’s will, and I would not change a
thing.

What specialty do you plan on going into?

EMERGENCY MEDICINE! For those who know me, they know I THRIVE
in organized chaos, and I get bored very easy, which is the reason why I love
the ER! I worked there for 4 years prior to going to PA school, and in the
beginning, I did not think I would like it but this ended up being the best
experience EVER!! I am also interested in Critical Care/ICU and Cardiology.

What has been the hardest thing you have dealt with in PA
school so far?

My hardest thing has been finding a balance between personal time and
school. Most of the people in PA school have Type A personalities and are perfectionists,
so it is hard separating myself from studying for any amount of type and making
time for myself, but you have to! Take care of yourself because you will be
more successful if you do! There’s no point in feeling and being raggedy and
not performing at your best.

How did you prior experience help you in PA school?

I was a scribe prior to PA school. The hospital I worked at
had a very complicated patient population, and in turn, I learned a lot. The doctors
were willing to teach because they knew I wanted to pursue a career in
healthcare. We had to know the bare minimum of the most common diseases because
we were the ones responsible for the charts, which resulted in gaining a lot of
knowledge of a lot of the disease. This really paid off in my Clinical Medical
and Pharmacology class as I am somewhat familiar with a lot of diseases because
I have personal experience and can apply this when I am studying. I also was in
an on-site leadership position while I was a scribe, which I think helped
tremendously because it gave me something to talk about in my interview, and
this shows the faculty that I can lead while working in a team environment,
which is the motto as a PA.

What advice would you give pre-PA students?

Focus on your undergrad classes and take them seriously! I
partied a lot while I was in college, SO my grades of course suffered. Thankfully,
I got it together when it was necessary, and my GPA did not suffer too much,
and I was able to maintain a good science GPA, but when I was applying to PA
schools, I was limited to certain schools because of my GPA. If you are not
ready to take a class, then don’t take it. Another pearl is to find a mentor! I
wish I had someone that could give my guide throughout this process. It was
rough trying to figure out everything, and I think if I had a mentor this
process might have been a little easier. Lastly, trust the process and don’t
rush it. If it’s in God’s will, it’s going to happen regardless, so enjoy the
ride!